Merry Men
by TheAthenaSisters
Summary: A new group of meta humans who call themselves the Merry Men have surfaced in Dakota. They target only a certain business. What could be the reason for these crimes? Why is this new group just surfacing now? Will Static and Gear be able to deal with the Merry Men? Or is this new group too much to handle?
1. Chapter 1: The Break In

**Hello readers,**

 **The Author here. I know Last Narnian said I would have my own account for this kind of story but I thought it would be easier to just post stuff on this account. So that's what I'm going to do. So without further to do I give you my very first Static Shock fan fiction,** ** _Merry Men._**

It's nighttime in downtown Dakota. Above the street CEO Evan Sandel was staying late in his office, sealing a deal that would make his company millions. Suddenly a shadow streaked across the window. Sandel turned. He fished a remote out of his pocket and pressed a button. The window slid open. He stuck his head out the window. Nothing. He closed the window. Suddenly vines smashed through the window, embedding themselves into the opposite wall. A third vine shot through the window and buried itself in the ceiling. A girl dressed in a dark green bodysuit under a flowing high-low skirt and short leather poncho that came just down to the top of the ribs swung into the room on the vine. She landed in the center of the room, tossing her long chocolate brown hair over her shoulder. Her face was hidden by a simple green mask. Next to her the air shimmered. With a loud zap four figures popped into view. One was clad in black and green body armor, her dark hair chopped short and goggles covering her eyes. Another was wearing a brown bodysuit under green body armor and a furry brown mask, her light brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. The third figure was wearing a white bodysuit with jagged green streaks arose the arms, legs, and chest. Her face was hidden by a green and white helmet with a visor and her coppery hair was tucked into the helmet. The fourth figure was a grey wolf, crouched next to the girl in brown. The girl in green walked towards Sandel.

"Hello Mr. Sandel," she said. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Wh-why are you here again," he stuttered nervously. "G-Get out of my office!" The girl in green tutted.

"Not a very nice way to treat your guests," the girl smiled. "We heard you were about to buy three tons of defected circuitry for your new line of computers. Isn't that right Code?" The girl in black armor, Code, nodded.

"That's correct," she said. "Built without the necessary insulators. Extreme risk of electrocution when it comes in contact with even the slightest dampness." The girl in green frowned.

"That's very dangerous Mr. Sandle. Did you know that?" she smiled. "Of course you did. That's why we're here. To stop you from making the wrong decision. Code!" the girl in green turned to her comrade. "Hack into his computer. Cancel the sale. And...direct Mr. Sandle to a much safer purchase please." Code turned and walked to the sleek laptop on Sandel's desk. She began punching keys, canceling the purchase and opening a cite to a company that sells regulation wiring. Sandel scowled and turned towards the intercom mounted to the wall near the door.

"Whisper," the girl in green turned to the remaining two of the group. The girl in brown looked up. "Will you please make sure Mr. Sandel doesn't call any unwanted attention to our little chat?" Whisper nodded. She looked down at the wolf. Suddenly it pounced on Sandel, pinning him to the ground. Sandel tried to push the dog of but it snapped at his hands. He yanked his hands away, bring with him a small metal tag. Whisper turned into the girl in green.

"Vine," she whispers. The girl in green turned around.

"What's wrong Whisper,"

"I hear sirens," Whisper looked nervously over her shoulder.

"Finished," Code called from the desk. She walks back over to the rest of the girls.

"Perfect timing," Vine turned. "You ready to go Zapp?" The girl in white nodded.

"I've got plenty of juice left," she turned to Whisper. "Call your wolf back." Whisper nodded. She looked at the wolf, silently mouthing a command. The wolf jumped off of Sandel and returned to her side. With a loud zap the group of girls vanished, leaving Sandel to deal with another devastating blow to him company. He sighed and stood up, walking over to the intercom. He pressed the button and spoke into the microphone.

"Get me Static,"

 **So what do you guys think. Was it alright? This is my first time writing in third person so I hope it wasn't to bad. I know this section was short but it's only the first chapter. I'll update as soon as I can. Thanks for reading.**

 **The Author**


	2. Chapter 2: The Crime Scene

"Static. Come in Static," Richie's voice crackled out of the shock box tucked under Virgil coat. Virgil fished it out as he landed on a rooftop, deactivating his flying disk.

"What up Gear?" Virgil spoke into the box.

"We got a situation down on 94th. The headquarters of Sandel Industries. Looks like a break in,"

"I'll be right over man," Virgil tucked the shock box back in his coat and reactivated his disk. He flew into the air heading for Sandel Industries.

"And they didn't take anything?" Virgil questioned the police chief. He shook his head.

"Not a thing. The only reason we're sure it was a break in was the window," Chief nodded to the broken window to their left. "Sandel's been making calls for weeks about meta humans hacking into his office. Canceling shipments and raising pay. We're not really sure what to make of his reports. We can't find any evidence supporting his claims."

"Can I talk to him?"

"Sure," the police chief led the way to a middle aged man dressed in a smart white suit taking to a policewoman taking notes. He stopped talking when he saw Static and the chief walking towards them.

"Static, thank God," he pushed passed the policewoman and stumbled towards Virgil. His jacket was torn and he kept glancing over his shoulder, like he was expecting an attack. "Finally someone who can actually help me." Next to him the policewoman growled.

"Tania why don't you give me your report," The police chief motioned for her to follow him away from Sandel.

"Static, please," Sandel begged, "You have to listen to me."

"OK, ok," Virgil took a step away from the businessman. "Chill. Why don't you just tell me what happened here." Sandel nodded eagerly.

"About an hour ago four girl broke in here and canceled my order for computer wiring," he said, wringing his hands nervously.

"Hold up," Virgil held up his hands. "You're telling me bang babies smashed through your window just to cancel a delivery."

"Oh it's more than just one delivery," Sandel ran his hands nervously through his hair. "They keep showing up every few days. Canceling orders. Raising my staffs salary. Resending product test result to the government. Shutting down my foreign factories just before they open. And they won't stop. Their costing me hundreds of thousands of dollars. Please, you have to help me." Sandel fell to his knees.

"Whoa man," Virgil took another step back. "I'll look into in. Just calm down." Sandel climbed back to his feet.

"Thank you,"

"Yo Static," Richie called from across the room. Virgil turned and walked towards his friend.

"What'd you find Gear?" Richie held up a single green leaf.

"Look," Richie showed him a screen. "It doesn't match any trees within a ten mile radius of this place, so it couldn't have just blown in. I also found this." Richie pulled a clear baggie from his utility belt. In it was a clump of dog hair. "I analyzed a few strange and it's wolf hair." Virgil frowned.

"What was a wolf doing in Mr. Sandel's office?"

"I have no idea. But look," Richie handed Virgil a small metal tag. "The policeman who gave me this said Sandel claims he pulled it off of a collar the wolf was wearing."

"Looks like someone has an interesting taste in pets. Does it have an address on it?"

"Too faded to tell. I'm gonna have Backpack analyze it overnight, see what he can find," Richie took the tag back from Virgil and put it back in his belt. Just then Virgil's pager beeped. Virgil quickly checked it.

"Man it's getting really late. Pops is gonna kill me if I break curfew again, " Virgil turned back to Richie. "Meet me at the gas station as soon as you can tomorrow. This guy might be trippin' but if there's new bang babies around we need to check them out." Virgil activated his flying disk and headed home, Richie close behind.

 **Apparently my computer hates me and messed up this chapter too. I apologize for the inconvenience. Here's chapter 2.**


	3. Chapter 3: The Confrontation

"You sure this is the right place?" Virgil and Richie landed on the sidewalk next to an old greenhouse early the next morning. Richie shrugged.

"This address matches the one Backpack found on the tag," Richie moved over to inspect the side of the glass walls. "Tinted windows." He rapped his knuckles against the glass. "Plexiglass. This is one suspicions greenhouse if you ask me."

"How do we get in,"

"Knock?" Richie walked over to the door and lightly knocked. Suddenly a panel above the door slid open and a beam of green light shot out, encasing Virgil and Richie.

"Hey, what the heck," Virgil squirmed under the beam. "Why can't I move?" He scowled, summoning a burst of electricity. But the only thing that happened was a weak electric shock. "My powers aren't working! Rich, what do we do?"

"I don't know V. My brain feels all clouded. I can't think straight," Richie said, a hint of panic seeping into his voice. Just then the door swung open and a girl dressed in a green stood in the doorway. She looked over the two superheroes, frowning.

"Why are you here?" she snarled, her hands balled into fists.

"Whoa, calm down," Virgil tried in vain to turn towards the girl. "We just wanna talk." The girl raised her eyebrows, suspicious.

"Promise," She asked coyly.

"Yes," Richie promised. The girl smiled. She lowered her face to a microphone hidden in the wall.

"Guest mode please," she said. The beam shuttered and turned off. Virgil and Richie stumbled forward, trying to regain their balance.

"What was that?" Richie asked, glancing nervously at the panel.

"One of our newer security features," she explained. "It's built to neutralize and contain meta human powers." She stepped aside. "Why don't you come inside?" She turned and disappeared into the greenhouse. Virgil and Richie glanced at each other.

"You guys coming," The girl stuck her head back out the door. Richie shrugged.

"Yea, we're coming," Virgil called. He walked through the door, Richie close behind.

"So this is our base," the girl led them through rows of plants. "Or at least the first room. This is where most of our security fetuses are. Most of them are meta human proof." Richie raised an eyebrow.

"Most?"

"We haven't worked out all the kinks yet," she said.

"I could probably take a look at them if you want," He offered. The girl smiled.

"Thanks," she said. "But I don't think every member of my team would be happy with that arrangement."

"Oh, by the way, this is-"

"Static," the girl cut Richie off. "I know. You're the first of a very small number of super heroes to emerge after the big bang. You have electromagnetic based powers. Your weaknesses are anything without an electric charge, like plastic, rubber, or wood, and water." She turned to Richie. "And you're Gear. You have heightened intelligence, particularly when it comes to your little gadgets." She smiled at him. "That's probably one of my favorite powers to come out of the big bang."

"I- uh, thanks," Richie mumbled awkwardly. The girl turned back around, leading them to another door.

"This is where we train," She said, opening the door. She lead them into a room with a metal pad in the center if the floor. "My team has rigged it with hundreds of scenarios we can use to master our powers." She crossed the room quickly, leading them to yet another door. "This is where we hand out. Behind that room is our sleeping quarters." She turned the knob. "Stay here. I have to let the girls know you're here." She ducked into the next room. A few seconds later she returned, holding the door open.

"Girls, this is Static and Gear. Boys meet the rest of the team," She moved out of the way to reveal three girls sitting at a circular table in the center of the room. She led the two heroes into the room. "This is Whisper," she said, pointing to a petite girl wearing brown and green who was petting a lioness that lay next to her.

"Um is that-"

"A real lion," The girl cut Virgil off. "Yes. But don't worry, she won't hurt you. Unless Whisper tells her two. Whisper has the ability to communicate telepathically with animals. And that's Code," she said, pointing at the girl typing furiously on a laptop. "She has enhanced technological understanding. She's the one who built the security systems. Her powers are kinda like yours Gear." Code looked up at Gear and scowled.

"And that's Zapp," She pointed to the last girl, who was jotting down notes in a notebook. "She can teleport. And I'm Vine." She turned back to Virgil and Richie. "I can control plants with my thoughts." She moved over to the table and leaned on it. "So what brings you to here?"

"This," Virgil tossed the dog tag to Vine. She glanced at it and scowled.

"Whisper!" she snapped "Why didn't you tell me Rufus's collar broke?" Whisper looked up.

"I didn't know!" She looked to her right. From the shadows a grey wolf padded towards them. He stopped next to Whisper and sat down. "Rufus. Why didn't you tell me your collar broke?" the dog whined and pushed his snout into her shoulder. "Awe, it's ok boy." she rubbed his head then sent him back to the other side of the greenhouse.

"So are you gonna tell us why you broke into Mr. Sandel's office?" Virgil crossed his arms, waiting for an explanation. Vine stood up stiffly.

"Mr. Sandel has a habit of making wrong choices," she said. "We simply help him decide against these choices."

"So you did hack into Sandel's interface?" Richie asked.

"Well Code did," Vine glanced at Code, who wasn't paying attention. "But yes, we did access his personal files and...fixed things." Virgil shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm not sure how legal that is," Vine scowled.

"I think it's time for you two to leave," She stormed passed them, pausing at the door to wait. "I won't ask again."

"Come on man," Richie set his hand on Virgil's shoulder. "Unless you wanna start a fight there's nothing we can do." Virgil sighed and turned around, following Vine back to the front of the greenhouse. She led them through the glass rooms until they were back outside.

"Listen, Vine," Virgil started. "I know you think what you're doing is the right thing, but I'm not sure it is." Vine held up her hand.

"Static," she sighed. "I have a very...complicated history with Sandel. If it wasn't for my team, a lot of people would get hurt. I'm not about to let that happen." She balled up her fists, her knuckles turning white. "And I'm not about to let you stop me." Her eyes angrily shown green. She then closed them and took a deep breath.

"Well, it was nice finally meeting you two," she stuck out her hand. Cautiously, Virgil gripped it and shook.

"You to, I guess," he pulled his hand away. Vine then turned to Richie and stuck her hand out again. Richie shook it gently. Then he pulled a card from his belt and held it out to her.

"Here," He said, pressing the card into her hands. "Incase you ever want to explain this 'complicated history' you have with Sandel." Vine smiled.

"Thank you," she tucked the card into a pocket and slowly shut the door.

Virgil turned to Richie.

"What the heck was that about Rich?" Virgil asked, crossing his arms. Richie shrugged.

"I just thought if she ever wants to deal with Sandel the right way, she'll have someone to call," Virgil sighed.

"I think you need someone to call. A doctor," Richie rolled his eyes.

"Come on V," He said, rising into the air. "Let's head back to HQ. See what we can dig up on ol' Sandel," With that the pair flew into the sky to begin their search for answers.

 **So what do you guys think of this chapter. Was it too rushed? Do I need more dialogue? Submit reviews if you catch even the slightest mistake. I want to make sure my works the best it can be. Okay that sounded really cheesy but you get the idea. I'll post the next chapter as soon as I finish it.**


	4. Chapter 4: The Talk

"I don't like this Richie," Virgil paced back and forth inside the gas station. "They don't seem dangerous. And they obviously think what they're doing it right. What are we supposed to do?"

"We could try to talk to them again," Richie suggested, fiddling with some wires. Virgil snorted.

"You just want an excuse to see Vine again," Richie laughed awkwardly.

"Whatever man. So how about we do a little super sleuthing and find some dirt on Sandel. I can fire up the computers and-" Richie was cut off by Virgil's pager beeping. Virgil fished it out of his pocket.

"Oh man," Virgil slapped his forehead. "I completely forgot. I promised Pops I'd help out at the community center. I gotta go." He began quickly stuffing his costume into his backpack.

"Ah well, more fun for me," Richie cracked his knuckles and powered up one his computers.

"See you tomorrow Rich," Virgil called and he ran out the door. It clanged shut behind him. Suddenly a knock echoed through the room. Richie sighed.

"For the last time V, I'm not helping you at the center anymore. Every time I go your dad asks me to fix the old arcade games. I can't tell the machinery from the duct tape anymore." Richie yanked open the door to find Vine standing on the sidewalk, hands covering her eyes.

"Do you have your helmet on?" She asked. "Because if I try to come with my eyes closed I'm going to break something."

"I-uh, just a sec," Richie grabbed his helmet off the counter and jammed it on his head. He turned back to Vine. "Your good."

Vine peaked through her fingers. Seemingly satisfied, she slid her hand off her face. She ducked quickly into the gas station, then turned to face Richie.

"You, uh, you didn't happen to see anyone leave here, did you?" Richie asked. Vine shook her head.

"I wasn't looking," She smiled. "I figured I didn't have a need to go snooping around, trying to figure out your alter ego." She laughed quietly. "I'm hoping you will return the favor." Richie cleared his throat.

"So, um, what brings you here?" He asked.

"I've come to ask you to leave Sandel to me and my team," She said, smiling apologetically. "I know you feel the need to stop me, you think I'm doing something wrong, but Sandel isn't about to start making the right choice. Someone has to stop him."

"How did you find this place?" Richie asked, trying to stall for time. Vine smiled coyly.

"I had Code track the number you gave me. She said it traced back to a private number that was transmitting from the old gas station," Vine tilted her head. "You can't convince me to leave Sandel alone, Gear. I have to make sure he does the right thing."

"Why?" Vine sighed.

"My group is called the Merry Men. Do you know what story that's from?"

"Robin Hood," Richie answered. "The Merry Men were his group of outlaws. They stole from the rich to give to the poor."

"Exactly," Vine smiled slightly. "That's kinda what my girls and I do. We hinder the rich to protect the poor. We make sure the lesser can obtain things without unknowingly putting their lives at risk. We stop Sandel from buying illegal wiring or," her voice wavered. "faulty braking systems. We stop him from pulling thousands of people at risk of injury, or even death. If it wasn't for my girls, who knows how many 'accidents' would've occurred." She looked away from Richie, anger sliding away to reveal unbelievable pain. "He can't continue."

"But why not just report him to the authorities?" Richie asked slowly. "Why not let them deal with Sandel?" Vine turned back to Richie. A tear traced its way down the side of her face.

"Because he killed my brother,"

Realization dawned on Richie. He took a step towards Vine and set his hand lightly on her arm.

"Listen, Vine," He started. "I know it hurts, but revenge isn't-"

"This isn't revenge," Vine yelled, her eyes shining green. She yanked her arm away, her hands balled into fists. Then she shut her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again they were clouded with fresh tears.

"I just have to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone ever again," Her voice was barely audible. She looked up at Riche, her eyes pleading. "Please, Gear. You have to promise me you and Static will stay out of this. You have to let me deal Sandel." She looked down at her hands and sighed. "I-I don't have very good control of my powers. They behave fine when I'm calm but when I get mad." She squeezed her eyes shut. "I can't promise no one will get hurt if you try to interfere." Vine opened her eyes slowly and looked up at him. "I don't wanna hurt you...or Static," She shifted slightly. "So will you help me?"

"I-I don't know," Richie shifted.

"Please," Vine set her hand on Richie's arm. "I have to do this alone," She was shaking from head to toe, seconds from completely breaking down. Richie sighed.

"I'll talk to Static," Vine smiled widely. She threw her arms around Richie's neck.

"Thank you," She whispered, still shaking. She quickly released him and turned to the door.

"I have to go. I'm late for dinner," She started towards the door. "Oh, and Gear?" Richie looked up. Vine help up the card he'd given her. "I'm keeping your number." With that she dashed out the door, letting it bang shut behind her.

Richie stood there for a minute, staring at the door. Then he groaned and rubbed the back of his neck.

"What did I just do?"

 **So what do you guys think. Did I wrap up chapter 4 alright. I'm worried I rushed things. Also someone suggested the Merry Men find out Static and Gear's secret identity. What do you guys think. Should Code do a little digging? Comment if you think this would add to the story. I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can. Thanks for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5: The Struggle

"You won't believe what I found," Richie said, booting up his computer. It was the next night and Virgil had rushed to the station to see what Richie had dug up on Sandel. "Half a year ago Sandel Industries released their new car line. A few months later multiple car crashed spread across the country. Police investigated and almost all the cars involved has been Sandel brand. It turns out Sandel hadn't build his cars with regulation breaks. He used some sort of cheaper material that broke easily. And you'll never guess who was in one of those crashed." Richie looked over at Virgil.

"Well are you gonna tell me who smart guy?" Virgil quipped. Richie grinned.

"Sandel's nephew, Steven Ray," Richie grimaced. "Apparently Sandel had given his nephew a car for his birthday. Crashed it a few days later." Richie opened a new window. "I looked more into the Ray family and Steven had a little sister. A 16 year old girl. Her name's Connie Ray. She lives with her dad and goes to that private school across town. Look familiar." Virgil shook his head.

"No,"

"Well how about now," Richie hit a few keys and a green mask appeared on the girl's face. Virgil scowled.

"Vine,"

"Yea. Apparently after the accident she refused any kind of counselling. She would disappear for hours every day,"

"Probably hanging out with her freaky friends," Virgil murmured. He walked over to the table and dug around in his backpack before pulling out his costume. "Let's go," Richie shifted from foot to foot.

"Listen V," He said. "I've been thinking. Maybe we should leave these girls alone." Virgil turned to face Richie.

"Have you lost your mind?" Virgil asked incredulously. "You seriously want to just sit back and watch these girls try to take the law into their own hands?"

"Think about it V. Sandel's her uncle. Maybe in a way she's trying to protect him," Richie said, frowning. Virgil crossed his arms.

"Ok Richie," He said. "What's going on?" Richie made a face. "Richie!"

"Ok, ok," Richie held up his hands in surrender. "She came to see me."

"She found the station!"

"Mmhm," Virgil groaned.

"How?"

"She tracked the number I gave her,"

"Richie!"

"Hey that number was secure, I thought," Richie said defensively. Virgil scowled.

"What did she want?"

"She ask me to convince you to leave Sandel to her and her friends,"

"Richie you know we can't do that,"

"She doesn't have control of her powers V," Richie's voice rose in volume. "If we show up she might completely lose it."

"If she can't control her power she needs our help now more than ever," Virgil sighed. "I have to stop her Rich. Are you gonna help me?" Richie looked away for a moment before sighing.

"Backpack," Richie called. "Access Sandel's mainframe. Find out all you can about upcoming orders and closing deals." Across the room Backpack lit up. A few seconds it beeped. Richie looked over at Virgil

"A meeting sealing a property deal for a new factory started ten minutes ago," Richie pulled his own suit from his backpack. "If we hurry we can beat the Merry Men." Virgil raised an eyebrow.

"Merry Men?" Richie shrugged.

"It's what they call themselve," Virgil rolled his eyes.

"Let's go,"

A few minutes later Virgil and Richie were in costume, speeding across town to Sandel's office building.

"Do you think they're there yet?" Virgil called over the roaring wind. In response Backpack beeped.

"Backpack's picking up a police report," Richie said. "Someone just broke in at Sandel's main conference room."

"Where's that?"

"Seventh floor. North side,"

The two reached Sandel's building. It wasn't hard to tell which room was the conference room. An entire third of the seventh floor windows were blown to pieces. Policemen and firefighters surrounded the north side. Virgil and Richie flew down to the building and through the broken window. Inside was pure chaos. Whisper, Code, and Zapp were in the center of the room, back to back, keeping an eye on all the employees and businessmen. Various animals kept people pressed against the walls, away from Vine. She had cornered Sandel against the left wall. Vines lashed around her like angry tentacles. Virgil and Richie flew down to her.

"Vine," Virgil called. "Stop now and no one will get hurt."

Vine turned. Her eyes were completely green, glowing brightly. She snarled and threw her hand out from her side. Vines shot forward and ensnared Sandel, pressing his to the wall.

"Get out of here Static," She growled. "Sandel almost paved down an entire forest to build a new factory. On top of that he wasn't planning to incorporate building regulations. He cannot be allowed to continue." She curled her hand into a fist causing the vines around Sandel to tighten. Sandel began gasping for breath. Thinking quickly, Virgil blasted the vines. They loosened, dropping Sandel on the floor. Vine snarled. She threw both arms out in front of her. Vines busted through the floor, slamming into Virgil and Richie and pinning them to the wall. Vine approached slowly, growing angrier with each step.

"Code, put up the screen," She commanded. Code pulled a small device out of her pocket and placed it on the floor. It pulsed and shot out a synthetic blue screen, separating the businessmen, Code, Whisper, and Zapp from Vine, Virgil, Richie, and Sandel. Satisfied, Vine came close to Virgil and pulled his mask off.

"Just as I thought," Vine said. "Virgil Hawkins." She turned to Richie. She reached up to take his helmet off, but hesitated, the green glow in her eyes fading slightly. Virgil squirmed and tried to electrocute the vines. Vine's head snapped back to Virgil.

"Nice try," She snarled. She turned back to Richie and pulled his helmet off. "And Richie Foley. Code did some very good research." She waved her hand and the boys fell to the floor. She tossed them their masks back and kneeled down. "Stay out of my way or everyone finds out exactly who you two are." With that she turned away and walked back to Sandel. She waved her hand and vines rose up from the ground and wrapped around Sandel. They pushed him against the wall in front of Vine. Across the room Virgil grabbed his mask and put it back on.

"What do we do V?" Richie asked, putting his helmet back on. Virgil climbed to his feet.

"We have to convince her to stop. If we try to force her to surrender things will only get worse. We have to get Vine to realize what she's doing is wrong."

"What about the people on the other side of that screen?" Richie asked

"I'll take care of them," Virgil glanced at Richie. "Can you deactivate the screen."

"Easy as 3.14159," Richie smiled. "Backpack, I need you to input a virus into device A113." Backpack beeped. Across the room the screen sparked and shut down. Virgil ran to the other side of the room. Zapp moved in from of the other girls to address him.

"We never met it to go this far," she explained. "We just wanted to help Vine."

"We thought this would help her get over her brother," Code piped up.

"She promised no one would get hurt," Whisper mumbled.

"It's ok," Virgil assured them. "Make up for what you did by helping me know. Call of your animals and help me get these people out of here." Zapp glanced at Whisper, then Code. She looked back at Virgil and nodded. Whisper whistled. The animals flocked back to her. With a loud pop they all disappeared. Seconds later the girls reappeared without the animals. Virgil blasted the conference doors open and the girls began dragging the injured out of the room. On the other side of the room Richie was trying to reason with Vine.

"Don't talk to me Richie," She growled. "You can't stop me so don't even try."

"Just calm down," Richie said. "Your powers are affecting your brain. Their causing you to react strongly to you situation."

"I told you not to talk to me!" Vine threw her hand out. A vine snaked around Richie's ankles and threw him into the air. Virgil caught him and they both ran back to Vine

"Vine stop," Virgil called. "Can't you see you're hurting him?"

"That's the point," the vines around Sandel tightened.

"Connie listen to me," Richie yelled, a hint of desperation leaking into his voice. "You can't keep doing this. I know you want to protect your uncle but this isn't the way to help him."

"Protect him? PROTECT HIM?" Connie shrieked. "Why would I want to protect him. His stupid mistakes injured hundreds! His shortsightedness whipped out forests and underpaid workers. HE KILLED MY BROTHER!"

"I know your brother died because of a fault in Sandel's car design," Richie took a step towards Connie. "I know it hurts and you want someone to blame. But this won't help. This isn't how you can get Sandel to change. This," Richie swept his hand across the room. "isn't what Steven would've wanted. He wouldn't want you to become a murderer. He wouldn't want you to kill you own uncle!"

Connie looked from Sandel to Richie, then back at Sandel. The green light faded from her eyes.

"What have I done?" She whispered. Her hand dropped to her side. Sandel fell to the ground, passed out. Connie pressed her hands to her mouth, holding back a sob.

"STEVEN," she howled, falling to the floor. Vines flew everywhere, smashing into the walls, pulverizing the chairs and ripping paintings apart. Then the vines went limp, falling to the ground and curling around Connie before slinking back into the holes in the floor.

Richie approached Connie slowly, setting a hand gently on her shoulder. He looked over at Virgil.

"I have to get her out of here," he said. Virgil nodded.

"You go," He said. "I'll get Sandel to the paramedics and make sure the police know what he's been up to.

Richie gently picked Connie up and flew out the window into the night.

 **I'm sorry for the pervious format. I have no idea what happened. Anyway here's the new and improved chapter 5. I hope you like it. I'll post the next chapter as soon as I finish it. Get ready for some major feels.**


	6. Chapter 6: The Reveal

p dir="ltr"strongSorry this took so long. I had a tone of writers block and I'm terrible at endings. I hope this one turned out ok. /strong/p  
p id="docs-internal-guid-5e9d86c8-c677-a15a-aa67-3f45583c8754" dir="ltr"After settling things with the police, Virgil quickly flew back to the gas station. Once inside he found Richie kneeling on the floor, his helmet abandoned next to him, holding Connie as she cried into his shoulder. Virgil quietly walked over and kneeled neck to the two./p  
p dir="ltr" "What happened?" he whispered, afraid to disturb Connie. Richie frowned./p  
p dir="ltr" "She was silent on the way over here. Just stared numbly at the ground. Then as soon as we walked into HQ she pulled off her mask and collapsed on the ground, crying,"/p  
p dir="ltr" "Did she say anything?" Richie shook his head./p  
p dir="ltr" "No," between them Connie took a shaky breath and sat up. She wiped the tears from her face and looked down. Richie set a hand on her shoulder./p  
p dir="ltr" "You ok?" he asked softly. Connie nodded. She looked up and attempted a smile./p  
p dir="ltr" "I'm doing better, thanks," she tucked a wet piece of hair behind her ear and looked away sadly. "I'm so sorry. I-I just couldn't stand by and let my uncle keep making the same stupid mistakes again and again. Hurting more people."/p  
p dir="ltr" "Like he hurt you?" Richie whispered. Connie nodded, a tear tracing its way down her face./p  
p dir="ltr" "Ever since I was little it was always just Steven and I," she twisted her mask in her hands. "My mom died when I was little-"/p  
p dir="ltr" "Stop," Richie held up a hand, cutting her off. "You don't have to." Connie shook her head./p  
p dir="ltr" "Yes I do," She took a deep breath and continued. "My mom died when I was little. I don't even remember her anymore. My dad works hard to make sure we have everything we need. He's away a lot, and he hates it, but he want to be there for us financially. Until recently I never had a problem with it. I had my brother and he was all I needed."/p  
p dir="ltr" "I got my powers when that yacht exploded last year. I was getting water samples for science class when this purple gas floated over me. The next morning there was a tree in the middle of my room, wrapped around me. Steven came when I called. He helped me learn how to use them. Tie them to my emotions. With him, they were so easy to use. I never lost control. And then he turned sixteen." She paused and closed her eyes. Richie set a hand on her shoulder. Connie opened her eyes again and continued./p  
p dir="ltr" "My uncle never really cared about our family. All he wanted to do was make money. But he made sure to look like he cared. He always gave us gifts, took us on trips across the country, then dump us with his newest assistant. I didn't really like him. Neither did Steven. But when he turned sixteen, Uncle Evan had just started producing his new car line. He gave Steven one a few weeks after he got his license. It was great for a while. Steven would take me driving around the city. He would pull into empty parking lots and teach me how to drive it. I didn't like cars very much. I could feel the impact they had on plants. But I never said no to a lesson. I kept telling him his brakes felt funny, but he didn't believe me."/p  
p dir="ltr" "Then one day I missed the bus. Steven drove me to school. On the way home his brakes gave out and he crashed into a moving van," Connie's voice broke and tears fell down her face. Richie wrapped an arm arm around her and pulled her close to him. Connie shook her head and pulled away. "I'm not done yet.," She took a deep breath and wiped the tears away./p  
p dir="ltr" "The principal called me to his office. Told me what happened. I don't remember what happened after that. I remember feeling angry and seeing green. The next thing I knew I was laying on my back in the greenhouse that would become the training facility for my team. Zapp was standing over me. She had found me behind my school, smashing cars with a tree. She brought me to her hideout. Told me she had powers too. She introduced me to Code. They were both hiding. Some metahuman gang was hunting Zapp, trying to get her to help them rob a bank. Code was hiding from her mom, who made her hack into businesses to get them stuff. I told them what happened and they offered to help me deal with my loss. I got control of my powers again. A few day later we met Whisper, who was kicked out of her house when her dad found out she was a metahuman. We started looking into the car accident. That's when we found out about the breaks. About the same time Uncle Evan had to order a recall. I-I didn't understand why he would risk so many lives just for a little extra earning. I was mad. Mad at him for hurting all those people. For hurting Steven. So I hatched a plan to keep an eye on my uncle. At first it was just changing orders through the computer. But he never stopped making mistakes. I tried confronting him, but he just laughed at me. That's when I decided to create Vine and the Merry Men. I tried to scare him into doing the right thing. And it still didn't work. That's when I lost control. I couldn't take it anymore. I let my anger fuel my powers and I couldn't think straight. I just wanted this to end." Connie closed her eyes and let out a strangled sob. Richie pulled her into a hug and she began crying on his shoulder again./p  
p dir="ltr" "He's gonna be ok you know," Virgil said quietly. "Your uncle." He was just knocked unconscious. Nothing serious." Connie opened her eyes and slowly sat up./p  
p dir="ltr" "Thank you," she whispered. She turned to Richie and set a hand on top of his. "Both of you. I'm sorry I dragged you into this. I should've just let the police handle it. I promise I won't tell anyone about your secret identities." Richie frowned/p  
p dir="ltr" "How did you find out who we were," he asked. Connie bit her lip./p  
p dir="ltr" "Code found this old fine. Something called project Omni or something like that. It had a nasty virus but Code fixed it and found footage of you two taking your masks off. Code refused to watch it, so I'm the only one who knows. I promise I won't say a word to anyone." Virgil and Richie exchanged a silent glance. Connie tightened her grip on her masks and looked between the two anxiously./p  
p dir="ltr" "Well," Virgil becan. "We could just wipe your memory."/p  
p dir="ltr" "What?!" Connie yelped. Richie punched his arm./p  
p dir="ltr" "He's kidding. We won't do that. I don't even think we could. Could we?" Richie grabbed a pad of paper and started scribbling. Virgil snapped his fingers under his nose to reclaim his attention./p  
p dir="ltr" "Not now Rich," he said, taking the pad away. Connie was still staring at both of them. Suddenly her pager beeped. She unclipped it from her belt and looked at it./p  
p dir="ltr" "My dad's heading home from the airport. I have to go," She looked up. "Um can I leave or are you turning me in." Richie and Virgil exchanged another glance./p  
p dir="ltr" "You can go," Richie smiled and helped her to her feet. "Just try to stay out of trouble ok?" Connie nodded./p  
p dir="ltr" "I promise. I'll stay out of everyone's hair," She smiled back shyly. Suddenly she hugged Virgil and kissed Richie on the cheek. "I'll see you guys around?" She moved to the door. Richie nodded, eyes wide. Virgil chuckled and smiled./p  
p dir="ltr" "Sure," Connie grinned and disappeared out the door, into the night./p  
p style="text-align: center;"br /The End/p  
p style="text-align: left;"strongGood ending? Yes? No? If no any tips to make it better? Also I'm thinking if doing a sequel where Vine teams up with Static and Gear. Would you guys like a sequel? If so let me know. /strong/p 


End file.
